Your First Game

If this is your first time at a Dystopia Rising event we invite you to attend a New Player module that starts Friday at 9:30 pm following opening announcements. Even if you are an experienced gamer or LARPer, it’s highly recommended that you attend. There are items within our game that may be different from games you have previously played or are currently playing. This is also a great opportunity to get to know new people. We are a community-based game and we want you to be a part of our community!

Every player can rewrite their entire character sheet once before their third event. Take a chance and play something fun. If you don't like what you started with and want to go a different route with your character, you can change it.

Players should come prepared for a weekend surviving in the post-apocalyptic future. Bring plenty of food, a sleeping bag, and a contact safe weapon. Don’t forget a pair of simple black clothes for your NPC shift. If you need to play in a noncombatant fashion, you may. The requirement for noncombat players is to wear a bright orange headband. This alerts other players to not physically contact you during fight sequences (but your character can still take damage).

A few things that you want to make sure you bring to every event are:

  • Red flashlight/lantern (It is the apocalypse and the lights just aren't as good as we are used to having. No bright lights for your flashlights and lanterns.)

  • Genre appropriate eating utensils, dishes, and drinking containers (We like to help the environment too, so please do not bring disposable items for this. Be kind and reuse all your items for eating and drinking.)

  • Food and drink, if you aren’t getting the meal plan

  • Toiletries and any needed medications for the weekend

  • Socks!

  • Shoes with GOOD tread

Where do I go when I arrive at site?

If you’ve never LARPed before, this may all seem pretty overwhelming, so here’s a helpful list of what to do. Here’s your (suggested) checklist for arrival:

Get your sleeping location sorted out first. Find your home away from home and get settled.  We are a first-come, first-served game, so it’s important you do this first.

After you’ve secured your sleeping location and done whatever you feel needs to be done get situated, you will need to make sure the following is completed:

o   1 – Make sure you have your weapons safety-checked in the saloon (or just outside the saloon in the warmer months). A weapons marshal will check your weapon and tag it if it passes.

o   2 - If this is your first time playing (either at Dystopia Rising as a whole, or at our chapter) you will need to sign a waiver. This can be done at either logistics or the saloon.

o   3 – If you pre-registered you can pick up your character sheet at the Public Works. If you DID NOT pre-register you must head down to Public Works to complete your registration and pay.

o   4 – Attend Opening Announcements in the saloon - check signs or Logistics for when this is, usually at 8 pm. Opening ceremonies will include a variety of safety information and going over rules that might be relevant to that game. This is mandatory for new players.

o   5 – Game goes live after opening ceremonies.

o   6 – If you are a new player, there will be a new player mod to help you get familiar with the game but also arrive in character appropriately.

Some things to be aware of:

  • We are a 24-hour immersion game. You will eat and sleep in character. With that try to keep your foodstuffs in genre-appropriate packaging and wear genre-appropriate clothes to sleep. If you must sleep out of character the Directing Coordinator or assigned Health and Safety individuals must sign off on your sheet that you have been approved for out of character sleep. Guides -can not- sign off on players sleeping out of character.

  • Basic details of the world genre are in the free player’s guide.  The majority of genre materials are located in the Dystopia Rising Table Top Books.  While you do not HAVE to know the materials in these books, they will enrich your gameplay experience a ton.  The same way that live-action role-playing games based on popular fandoms are only exceptional if you know the materials, the same applies to DR LARP.  While you can have a blast at the game not knowing anything, you will get a much deeper and richer experience from knowing the tabletop books.

  • We are a community-based game.  We want you to come, enjoy, have fun, and be a part of our community.  As a community, we have certain guidelines that everyone must follow that are in our rule book.  Gender bias, racism, threats, or any other form of persecution and obnoxious activities expressed to our players on an out-of-character level aren't welcome.  We strongly ask that all of our players and staff leave any baggage at the door, enjoy a fantastic gaming weekend, and keep reality and game separated. We are all here to have an awesome time doing a hobby we all love and we do our best to keep the focus on that.

  • We are a part of networked play.  There are many other games that are all linked together to make a really cool living and breathing world.  Because of that, your character must be based somewhere in Colorado.  We will not approve characters that were 'people of note' or come from 'families of note' outside of Colorado.  As per the background section of the book, you need to submit a background for approval if you want to be any sort of high-standing, high-ranking, well-known, or influential muckety muck before entering game.  Our game is based on the town of Barker Meadow, so you should focus your efforts for your back story as for WHY and HOW your character came to Barker Meadow.

  • There is a section of suggested supplies in the LARP book, we highly suggest you bring these items plus whatever personal health and hygiene items you may need.  Any items that are not genre-appropriate should be stowed away in trunks or genre-appropriate bags until you need them.

  • If you are planning on playing a character that trades in scrap, herb, or produce you need to bring a number of bags with you to fulfill the requirements outlined in the DR LARP rulebook.  If you are planning on playing a brewer, or a character that uses many brews, please bring genre-appropriate plastic bottles with you to game to store liquids in.  With just a little effort appropriately shaped plastic drinking bottles can be found cheaply, often filled with liquids you will need during a DR LARP weekend (we all could use to drink more water!).

  • When you attend game, you will need to fill out a release form before you will be allowed to play. These waivers will be available at the Public Works and will be filled out annually.